Statement on the 15th Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

Fifteen years ago today, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became the law of the land, in a landmark victory in the fight for equal pay. Lilly worked hard, with dignity and pride, only to find that for years she had been paid less than her male coworkers. This needed to change. This law, the first bill signed during the Obama-Biden administration, expanded important protections against pay discrimination, and was named after her in recognition of her long fight for equal pay.

Despite this progress, the fight for equal pay continues. Women workers are still paid on average 84 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the disparities are even greater for many women of color. Today my administration is taking new actions to advance pay equity for the Federal workforce and employees of Federal contractors. These new actions adopt commonsense policies that will help pay millions of workers fairly, close gender and racial wage gaps, and yield tangible benefits for the Federal Government and Federal contractors. These policies are good for workers, our economy, and for families.

In addition, my administration will continue to call on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, to increase pay transparency and strengthen our tools to fight sex-based pay discrimination. Today and every day, Vice President Harris and I remain committed to building on the promise of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and strengthening the economic security of women across the country.